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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Berg Hardware

A triptykch.

I love stuff like this.

Berg Hardware at Altadena Drive and Villa Street in Pasadena is one of those places where you can walk in and say, "I need a 1924 J-012 bendavy ratflack," and they'll go right to it and pull it off the shelf for you. They will not do this silently. You will enjoy the chat, I promise, just go with it.
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20 comments:

  1. BellisApril 11, 2013 at 12:32 AM

    What a great hardware store. Those display cases look more interesting and attractive than all the modern art in MOCA.

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  2. Kalei's Best FriendApril 11, 2013 at 4:53 AM

    That triptych would make a cool wall hanging... We had Newhall Lumber which was one of the original hardware stores- Sadly, it was forced out of business due to places like Home Depot, Lowe's...Lumber stores like Newhall had some of the best employees!. They took the time to explain things and were always around, unlike Lowe's, HD.

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  3. savannahApril 11, 2013 at 6:02 AM

    we still have a couple of places like that here in my little town! xoxox

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  4. KatieApril 11, 2013 at 6:43 AM

    Fabulous displays! And I like the old cash register in the middle photo. I bet if you asked them for paint in the faded green color in the bottom photo they'd be able to oblige. My neighborhood hardware store is kind of like this, where I can get items such as old-style slide screen inserts for my sash windows.

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  5. DinaApril 11, 2013 at 7:03 AM

    What a great old display.
    But you must explain to me about bendavy ratflack.

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  6. Petrea BurchardApril 11, 2013 at 8:37 AM

    These guys tend to be especially knowledgeable about Craftsman hardware. We still need a lot of that around here.

    I hope the bendavy ratflack doesn't exist, Dina, but if it does, they have it.

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  7. LONDONLULUApril 11, 2013 at 9:41 AM

    First, these are amazing captures! Second, I would love a shop like this so very much around here. We have one that's not too bad (for a big box store, though it was once family-owned and bought-up into the chain), but not like this!

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  8. TheChieftessApril 11, 2013 at 9:59 AM

    Love to go into stores like this one...reminds me of my dad... Virgil's in Glendale is a bit like this one...they even sell fresh eggs!!! When it sold, the uproar was over whether or not they would still sell eggs! Go figure!!! I like going there because you can ask for a particular type of nail or screw and the sales clerk will turn the store upside down looking for the exact right one!!!

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  9. DianaApril 11, 2013 at 10:57 AM

    I love places like this, too, and I'm grateful every day that they haven't been sucked dry by chain hardware/home stores.

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  10. Petrea BurchardApril 11, 2013 at 11:08 AM

    We used to live in Glendale. Virgil's is a classic!

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  11. irinapicturesApril 11, 2013 at 12:43 PM

    I like to draw the stuff like this. It puts me in the "tiny details" mood, great for relax and reload.
    So sorry artisans and craftsmen are disappearing around us.

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  12. MargaretApril 11, 2013 at 3:34 PM

    I drive by there everyday.

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  13. Laura MApril 11, 2013 at 4:53 PM

    It's been years since I've been to Berg's (since I lived in Pasadena, I think), but they do indeed have whatever you need.

    In Altadena, we have Altadena Hardware, a fraternal twin to Berg's. Recently, a weights inspector from the County forbid them to use their old scale because it wasn't licensed or some such--turns out she had transposed some numbers--and they were allowed to keep it. They still sell nails by the pound! And you can buy just one screw if that's all you need.

    Altadena Hardware also takes your old batteries for recycling, which even my trash collector won't do.

    I also like Pasadena Hardware (next to Smart & Final). The thing about all three of these stores is they know what they have, they know what you need, and they just might cut you a deal.

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  14. Ms MApril 11, 2013 at 8:36 PM

    Excellent photos! They do make a great triptych.
    Stores like these are rare these days -- this one sounds like a real community treasure.

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  15. Petrea BurchardApril 11, 2013 at 9:01 PM

    Seems like we're reflecting on the loss of the small, local store. It's hard for them to compete with the big guys. We're lucky in the Pasadena area to have so many wonderful, small hardware stores. Altadena Hardware, as Laura mentioned, and also Crown City. There are a bunch.

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  16. AnonymousApril 11, 2013 at 11:28 PM

    I don't remember them chatting me up when I bought my Rat Zapper.

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  17. JulieApril 12, 2013 at 6:29 AM

    Like Dina, I was wondering about the 1924 ratflack.

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  18. Petrea BurchardApril 12, 2013 at 9:44 AM

    Karin, they must have been busy. I think you're just the kind of person store people like to chat up.

    It's too bad they don't make 'em, Julie, because it sounds like Karin needed it.

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  19. diveApril 13, 2013 at 4:37 AM

    Oooooh … That's just porn, Petrea.
    Thank you for making an old man's day.

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  20. Petrea BurchardApril 13, 2013 at 10:41 AM

    I don't even know what these things are for, Dive, but I know they're sexy. Like office supplies.

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I appreciate your comment. You are a nice person—smart and good looking, too.